New York Fashion Weak | EP 54

<p>Is gatekeeping always a bad thing? This is what we’re delving into this week on The Thick. The “mid-tier” events have disappeared which has led to influencers occupying spaces once reserved for established entertainers, insiders and celebrities. The VMAs, AMAs, Billboard Awards, Hip-Hop Awards, etc were stages that bridged the gap between the obscure and the A-list. Now it seems like if you have a phone and a following, you can be at the Met Gala.</p><p>We’re not arguing that this new found access is bad—its a good thing! But what happens when the barrier to entry is so low that talent and originality become more diluted—does exclusivity actually serve a purpose?</p><p>We unpack and delve into the news cycle with Mitch McConnell coming back from the dead, Trump bribing Americans with imaginary checks again, and Jasmine Crockett’s poor decision making, plus so much more! </p><p>There’s no gatekeeping here, so grab a seat and let’s unpack.</p><p><br></p><p>IG, TikTok &amp; YouTube: @thethickpodcast</p><p><br></p><p>Follow our hosts everywhere at @tabriamajors and @damnmindy</p><p><br></p><p>Music Credit: CWatt$</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Sources</strong></p><ol><li>Saudia Arabia’s East-West pipeline damaged <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/oil-prices-rise-saudi-pipeline-outage-fresh-attacks-raise-supply-concerns-2026-09-15/">⁠https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/oil-prices-rise-saudi-pipeline-outage-fresh-attacks-raise-supply-concerns-2026-09-15/⁠</a></li><li>Mr. Global’s video on the East-West Pipeline <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@mrglobaltoo/video/7685060782400245005?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc">⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@mrglobaltoo/video/7685060782400245005?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc⁠</a></li><li>Ashley St. Clair and the dangers of Elon Musk <a href="https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-documentary-venice-film-festival-ai-8d684e5e1455c04590e6bcb786735d03">⁠https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-documentary-venice-film-festival-ai-8d684e5e1455c04590e6bcb786735d03⁠</a></li><li>Former Anthropic employee ‘genuinely frightened’ for humanity’s future <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1kx0gyje9wo">⁠https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1kx0gyje9wo⁠</a></li><li>Jacob Coxon’s X post about AI <a href="https://x.com/hilbertspaess/status/2097476196791709843?s=12">⁠https://x.com/hilbertspaess/status/2097476196791709843?s=12⁠</a></li><li>Sam Altman confirms OpenAI won’t go public this year <a href="https://fortune.com/2026/0